#14,777
Three days ago we learned of Germany's first locally acquired coronavirus case, which was detected in an automotive company, and linked to contact with an asymptomatic colleague visiting from China. Twelve hours later, the Bavarian Ministry of Health confirmed that three other employees at the same company had tested positive.
This cluster is the subject of a NEJM letter, published yesterday, called Transmission of 2019-nCoV Infection from an Asymptomatic Contact in Germany, which cautions:
The fact that asymptomatic persons are potential sources of 2019-nCoV infection may warrant a reassessment of transmission dynamics of the current outbreak. In this context, the detection of 2019-nCoV and a high sputum viral load in a convalescent patient (Patient 1) arouse concern about prolonged shedding of 2019-nCoV after recovery. Yet, the viability of 2019-nCoV detected on qRT-PCR in this patient remains to be proved by means of viral culture.
Last night, a 5th local case was announced, and this morning we have this update from the Bavaria Ministry of Health identifying a 6th case. Notably, this 6th case is the child of the case identified last night, and may be the first indication of (limited) ongoing transmission in Germany.
(translated)
Current information on the coronavirus situation in Bavaria - Bavarian Ministry of Health: Now a total of six cases
The Bavarian Ministry of Health informed on Friday about the current development of the new corona virus in Bavaria. A ministry spokesman said in Munich that, according to the State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL), another coronavirus case in Bavaria was confirmed at noon. It is a child of the man from the district of Traunstein, the positive finding of which was published late Thursday evening. The man is an employee of the company from the district of Starnberg, which also deals with the other four cases known to date.
There are a total of six coronavirus cases in Bavaria. According to doctors, all those affected are currently in a stable state of health.
Tests by other people who also work for this company showed no further positive results until midday on Friday. The Bavarian Ministry of Health will provide further details later today. The contacts identified so far should isolate themselves at home and continuously report to the health department with information on their health status.
